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Make sure what rules the organization has followed to keep volunteers safe. Some require their volunteers to be fully vaccinated and masked, for example. If you feel uncomfortable with indoor settings, you may choose to volunteer in a well-ventilated, uncrowded location or outdoors.
Even at the height of the pandemic, Patricia Novy, 72, of Clark, NJ, a retired arts teacher and former Girl Scout leader, brought together former teachers, family members, and neighbors to fill Easter baskets and Christmas stockings for those with no money. They were distributed by family promise, an organization that helps low-income families with housing and other services.
“I was determined not to let this quarantine situation bring my mood down,” Ms Novy said.
Ms. Walker, author of “400 Friends and No One to Call,” says the type of activity you choose is less important than whether it makes sense. In her 25 years as a rehabilitation counselor, mostly in Virginia and Maine, she has placed clients in volunteer activities to help them build trust and improve their social skills.
“They used volunteering as a bridge to help them reconnect with the community,” Ms Walker said.
Some worked for a political or environmental cause. Others were driven to share a passion, such as woodworking.
Also consider the type of setting you want to volunteer in and whether it will facilitate social interactions, Ms. Walker said.
For example, if you help out at a museum, you may meet larger groups of people than if you volunteer as a one-on-one teacher, she added.
‘Now I have all my true purpose’
Some volunteers are driven to heal others and themselves.
Robyn Houston-Bean, 52, said that when her 20-year-old son, Nick, died of an accidental overdose in 2015 after attending a drug treatment program, she ceased to be “a real buyer who always did a million things.” sitting numb on the couch for months.
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